Environmental Scanning Process Research Articles

Characterising the landscape of mycotourism initiatives in Quebec: a comprehensive overview including a classification, cluster analysis and strategic group approach

ABSTRACT Even if a niche activity, mycotourism has gained in popularity internationally, with various initiativzses emerging to cater to the growing interest of tourists toward mushrooms and mushroom-related goods and services. This article presents the argument that mycotourism encompasses a diverse range of activities that have yet to be fully explored and understood by decision-makers and scholars alike. This paper addresses this research gap by providing a comprehensive understanding of the diverse mycotourism initiatives in Quebec (Canada). Through an in-depth environmental scanning process, this study presents an overview of mycotourism offerings, employing a classification, cluster analysis, and strategic grouping approach to synthesise and organise knowledge based on 57 organisations. The 18 mycotourism activities were classified into five distinct categories. The cluster analysis revealed the presence of four distinct groups of micro and very small enterprises (VSEs) in the sector, each characterised by its own unique set of traits and behaviours: curated activity providers; wide-ranging service providers; learning and development focused providers; and guided adventures providers. By leveraging providers' total number of employees and total number of activities offered, we have established 4 strategic groups demonstrating that the VSEs exhibit versatility in their activities and adapt to different scales of mycotourism offerings.

EFSA's activities on Emerging Risks in 2023

Abstract The main objectives of EFSA's activities on environmental scanning encompass: (i) the identification and analysis of emerging risks as well as more forward‐looking signals, drivers and trends that could affect EFSA's work programme; (ii) developing and improving emerging risk identification methodologies and approaches; and (iii) communicating issues and risks that have been identified. The outcome of these activities equips EFSA to anticipate forthcoming challenges in the continuously evolving landscape of risk assessment. EFSA networks of knowledge that contribute to the emerging risks identification activity include the Emerging Risks Exchange Network (EREN), the Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StaDG‐ER), EFSA's scientific units, the Scientific Panels, the Scientific Committee and their working groups. The current technical report summarises the activities of all groups involved in the environmental scanning process, the issues identified in the course of 2023, and the collaborative activities. In total, 32 potential emerging issues were discussed in 2023 and five were concluded to be emerging risks. The potential issues were classified according to the hazard. In 2023, EFSA has further implemented its environmental scanning and strategic options definition process with the development of the Emerging Risks Exchange Platform (ERAP), which is intended to centralise all emerging risks analysis activities. Acknowledging the breadth and variety of the scientific areas to be covered, EFSA has also put in place a collaborative network for preparedness that goes beyond just the European Union. Finally, special attention has been given to increasing the visibility of EFSA's environmental scanning work, making use of FoodSafeR's digital hub to disseminate EFSA's activities to a worldwide community of professionals dealing with preparedness, and with the creation of the biannual EFSA newsletter “Emerging Risks Update,” which provides valuable insights into EREN's and StaDG‐ER's meetings and discussions, recent news and publications, upcoming events and activities related to environmental scanning.

Starbucks Market Entry Plan to India

This report examines Starbucks' strategy for expanding into the Indian market. Starbucks Corporation, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is a globally recognized American coffeehouse and roastery chain, and it holds the title of the largest coffeehouse chain worldwide. The report begins by analyzing the rationale behind choosing India as the host country, with a focus on the cultural and economic factors that were considered in the environmental scanning process. It then outlines a market entry strategy, proposing a potential joint venture between Starbucks and the prominent Indian company, TATA Global Beverages Limited. The discussion extends to a comprehensive marketing strategy, utilizing the 4Ps framework to strategically guide Starbucks' entry into the Indian market. Lastly, the report addresses potential challenges and presents a contingency plan to mitigate them.

Manajemen Strategi Penanggulangan Bencana Banjir Bandang Oleh BPBD Kabupaten Pasaman

This study aims to analyze and describe the management of flash floods disaster management strategies carried out by BPBD Pasaman Regency. This research is motivated by Pasaman Regency which is a disaster-prone area. flash floods is one type of disaster that has a high potential and has a large impact and loss. Thus, there is a need for a strategic management process carried out by the Pasaman Regency BPBD in the implementation of flash floods disaster management which aims to reduce the risk of flash floods disasters in Pasaman Regency. The method used is descriptive qualitative, with data collection techniques using interviews, documentation, and observation. . The selection of informants was done by purposive sampling technique. The data analysis technique used in this study according to Miles and Huberman, meanwhile to test the validity of the data obtained in the field, the source triangulation technique was used. The strategic management process is carried out by describing the phenomena found in the field using the theory of J. David Hunger and Thomas L. Wheelen which states that the strategic management process consists of a process of environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and evaluation and control. The results of this study conclude that the strategic management process in flash floods disaster management by BPBD Pasaman Regency has not been achieved optimally, this is due to limited human resources owned by BPBD Pasaman Regency in terms of number and competence, lack of infrastructure facilities owned by all programs and activities optimally in achieving organizational goals, low presentation of budget realization in the implementation of programs and activities carried out, achievement of performance targets that are not yet optimal and special evaluations held by BPBD Pasaman Regency related to several activities in disaster management.

Role of environmental ownership and associated parameters to assess green patents in technologies with environmental scanning system as a controlling factor

There is a general conception that environmental firms are more adapted to green solutions, and environmental patents are just lagging. The existing literature has paid particular attention to identifying obstacles and situational factors associated with established firms going green and has concentrated on how and why established businesses are becoming more financially viable and ecologically sustainable. In changing environment, manufacturing companies are direct contributors to environmental impacts. Increased awareness of consumers about the environment puts a handful amount of pressure on manufacturing companies to care about the environment. It also asserts unseen pressure on the financial performance of the companies. Therefore, it is time to go for green patenting of such firms while satisfying the eco-innovation and environmental scanning process. Moreover, Environmental ownership and its associated parameters keenly monitor this aspect. This paper evaluates the performance of the support vector machine (SVM/SVR) approach for estimating patents in environment-related technologies (PERT) in China from 1995 to 2021. For this work, six independent variables related to environmental ownership and environment-related technologies were selected, which include medium and high-tech exports (MHTE), green patents applicants (GPA), listed domestic companies (LDC), human capital index (HCI), self-employment (SE), and manufacturing value added in GDP (MVA). Data for dependent and independent variables were gathered from the World Bank (WB) official data bank portal. To make an initial understanding of the data basic statistical summary was computed in R programming to see the mean, minimum and maximum values in the data set. A correlation matrix plot showed the association between dependent and independent variables. SVM/SVR with radial basis function (RBF) regression was applied to see the impact of contributing parameters that influence PERT. For PERT, the model generated 0.95 R2 (RMSE = 92.43). The results of the SVR showed that the association among environmental parameters is strong. With a value of 4.82, the strongest coefficient in the SVR model is PAR. This work is novel and will benefit the manufacturing sector, analysts, policymakers, environmentalists as how green patenting can boost the eco innovation and environmental ownership and scanning system with advance technologies and practices.

Foresight for Cultural Materials Preservation: The Role of Environmental Scanning in Conservation

This paper introduces foresight methodologies and their application to conservation with particular focus on environmental scanning. Organised into two parts, the first section of the paper describes case studies of environmental scanning activities undertaken by the gallery, library, archives and museums (GLAM) sector. It argues that as a profession we are poorly represented in discussions about the future of collection materials and the means for its preservation. It outlines recommendations as to how an environmental scanning capacity might best address these concerns and be implemented to serve the Australian conservation community. The second part deals with the underlying principles of foresight as a discipline, specifically with the process and aims of environmental scanning (also called horizon scanning) as it is commonly understood within the futures field. Using probability as a both a point of connection and counterpoint to risk frameworks currently applied in conservation practice, it describes how foresight has come to understand futures as having subjective, objective, personal and collective dimensions. The ability to engage and work across these dimensions is essential in developing robust and meaningful conservation outcomes and develop futures literacy within the profession.

Environmental Scanning as a Public Health Tool: Kentucky's Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Project.

Borrowing from business, quality improvement programs, and strategic planning principles, environmental scanning is gaining popularity in public health practice and research and is advocated as an assessment and data collection tool by federal funding agencies and other health-related organizations. Applicable to a range of current and emerging health topics, environmental scans — through various methods — assess multiple facets of an issue by engaging stakeholders who can ask or answer research questions, exploring related policy, critiquing published and gray literature, collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data in both primary and secondary forms, disseminating findings to internal and external stakeholders, and informing subsequent planning and decision making. To illustrate the environmental scanning process in a public health setting and showcase its value to practitioners in the field, we describe a federally funded environmental scan for a human papillomavirus vaccination project in Kentucky.

Process of Strategic Management at Surabaya City Government in Achieving Green City Master Plan (GCMP)

This study aims to show the strategic management process of Surabaya City Government in achieving Green City Master Plan (GCMP), especially from the beginning to the end of process. This study analyzed the strategic management process of Surabaya City Government by using qualitative research with an interview to key informants in Surabaya Development Planning Board and analyze Surabaya Development Planning Documents. The result showed that the process is conducted through environmental scanning, formulation, implementation, control and evaluation process which is carried out continuously. The utilization of IT and social media as a liaison between the government and society, allowed the government to create an appropriate program which is supported by the society. The process that has been passed by Surabaya City Government is supposed to be a pilot project for other similar areas to be more effective in achievement of GCMP.

Entendendo e implantando um sistema de inteligência competitiva

This paper explores a Competitive Intelligence process, developed to monitor the external environment through the use of weak signals in order to anticipate opportunities and threats. It compares the implementing of two environmental scanning process using a method proposed by Lesca (2003); Lesca e Lesca (2011, 2014) in two foreign companies – American and French ‐ located in a Brazilian context. The aim of the paper is to explore and understand a competitive intelligence process, through a case study, identifying the main aspects influencing the implementation process. It is possible to identify some factors that are important in the method adoption like: easy planning and organization, the alignment of the information about the process among participants, creation of an implementation committee, among others. The key success factor for the implementation are: effective production of intelligence (beyond simple production and diffusion of information, the need of top management support, discipline and flexibility. Finally the method allowed considerable effectiveness, producing positive results to the companies that used them. Results goes from communication improvement, internal team network increased, better understanding of the market.

Environmental scanning and futures wheels as tools to analyze the possible future themes of the commercial real estate market

The commercial real estate market is closely linked to the surrounding society, as commercial buildings have several economic, environmental, political, social and cultural influences. Correspondingly, the surrounding society, its actors and the different forces of change appearing in the market environment also have their own influence on the real estate market environment and its future development. However, this connection may be left without the attention it is entitled to and there is a danger that far-reaching decisions concerning commercial real estates will be made without sufficient analysis over possible future development. This paper investigates how the forces of change appearing in the present real estate market environment may affect future commercial real estates and their market environment. The forces of change are identified with an information collection method called environmental scanning known from future studies. After that the possible future influences of the identified forces of change are organized and analyzed with another future studies method called futures wheels. Finally, a holistic synthesis over the mutual future themes of the commercial real estate market is presented: (1) real estate themes: comfort, image, distinctive spaces and elements, technicality, safety and geographical location and transportation connectivity (2) market themes: interaction, demand for services, segregation and need for special knowledge and expertise (3) ideological themes: quality and redefinition of attractiveness, integration of space types, diversified demand and versatility of commercial real estate and owner-occupancy vs. tenancy. The database utilized in the environmental scanning and future wheel processes consists of 400 literary sources and 170 person sources presenting the views of different real estate market actors. Acknowledging the identified future themes is essential when preparing for future development. By being aware, it is possible to carefully study different development paths, their probability, essential factors and above all, the actors’ own possibilities to affect future development.

Using environmental scanning to collect strategic information: A South African survey

This article investigates the extent of environmental scanning activities at South African enterprises. The literature review discusses environmental scanning variables and steps in the environmental scanning process. In the empirical survey a questionnaire was e-mailed to the CEOs of 1000 South African enterprises, on 20 March 2015 asking them to return the questionnaire before 30 April and a response rate of 32.5% was achieved. Ninety five per cent of the respondents indicated that they regarded the competitive situation in South Africa as intense or very intense and most respondents were convinced that they coped above average with changes in the business environment. Only 30% of respondents had a separate environmental scanning department and only 27% had a formal environmental scanning system. Annual reports, market research reports, newspapers and trade journals were the most important secondary information sources, while customers, sales staff and suppliers were the most important primary information sources. All entities responding used competitor analysis, industry macro-environmental analysis and SWOT analysis to analyse environmental information.

Executive attention patterns, environmental dynamism and corporate turnaround performance

PurposeDespite an improved understanding of the role of top executives in declining firms, research is still needed to explore the role of environmental scanning and strategy formulation processes in an organizational decline context. Drawing from the attention‐based view and the literature on environmental scanning, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among executive attention patterns, industry dynamism and corporate turnaround performance in declining firms.Design/methodology/approachIn order to test theoretically‐driven hypotheses, data were collected from 70 US manufacturing firms that experienced serious performance decline and subsequent performance turnaround between 1990‐2000. The hypothesized relationships among market‐related, input‐related environmental scanning, industry dynamism and corporate turnaround performance were tested using a moderated regression analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that declining firms operating in dynamic industry environments tend to improve their turnaround performance when executives focus their attention more on market‐related sectors (i.e. customer, competitor and technological sectors). Conversely, the findings also indicated that corporate turnaround performance of declining firms seems to be adversely affected by a disproportionate focus on input‐related sectors of the task environment (i.e. suppliers and creditors).Research limitations/implicationsThe paper's findings contribute to the ongoing corporate turnaround research by highlighting the important role executive attention patterns and selective perceptions play in improving the extent of corporate turnaround in declining firms. More importantly, the findings also indicate that environmental context (in this case dynamism) is a critical part of successful corporate turnaround since it dictates the impact of relevant external actors on the organization.Practical implicationsExecutives of declining firms attempting turnaround may find it particularly useful, based on the paper's findings, to focus their attention and information search on specific aspects of the task environment in order to facilitate corporate turnaround. Such focus becomes especially necessary if the declining firm is operating in dynamic industries.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the corporate turnaround literature by highlighting the importance of both executive attention patterns and environmental context in any successful turnaround attempt.

The Concept of Clustering

This paper provides an overview of the concept of industry clustering and its value to enhancing innovation and enterprise. The success factors associated with regional clustering are described, highlighting the critical importance of local networking between industries and firms. A series of case studies are provided including regional development using clustering principles in Adelaide, Cairns and the Newcastle-Hunter region of NSW. Finally, the paper concludes with recommendations for future action. These include the following: i) undertaking a cluster mapping and environmental scanning process to provide base-line data for future policy and planning activities; ii) enlisting the support of the local business community to participate in a development strategy, particular ‘anchor’ firms in each cluster; iii) identify regional development projects that can channel the energies of key industry and community stakeholders, but that offer mutual benefits to the region; iv) formation of a Regional Development Board to coordinate projects and source funding.

The Application of an Environmental Scanning and Strategic Planning Framework in an Academic Department of Physical Therapy

Background and Purpose. Academic departments of physical therapy may be familiar with strategic planning, but may not be as familiar with a formal process of environmental scanning, which is a component of strategic planning. Organization theory suggests that individual units of academic institutions often face different environmental forces than the broader institution. This may be especially true for professional education programs such as physical therapy. This article explains why each academic department of physical therapy should perform its own environmental scanning, and describes a formal environmental scanning framework that was applied to an academic department of physical therapy. Case Description. The formal environmental scanning process was performed by faculty of an academic department of physical therapy. The process included identifying key performance indicators and scanning for threats and opportunities in the professional environment, the competitive environment, the institutional environment, and the general higher-education environment. Threats and opportunities were analyzed in regard to their impact on programs key performance indicators. Program strengths and weaknesses were identified as well as program stakeholders. A cross-impact analysis was performed that determined the impact of each finding from the scanning process to the predetermined key performance indicators. Outcomes and Discussion. Strategic directives and an implementation plan were derived from the outcome of this analysis. Additionally, documentation of the broader strategic planning process allowed the authors to identify problems and opportunities and suggest solutions and implementation for program change. Some empirical evidence exists to suggest that environmental scanning enhances organizational performance. The model followed in the case formalizes an already informal process for most academic units. One limitation is the time involved to implement the process. A benefit is that the process documents program planning and improvement procedures, a requirement for accreditation. Conclusion. This report illustrates that strategic advantages may be recognized when an academic unit engages in a formal and discipline-specific environmental scanning process. The model used assures that the environmental scanning process is comprehensive, is tied to actual performance, and is documented. Key Words: Environmental scanning, Strategic planning, Academic planning. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In order for most organizations and institutions to thrive, they must respond to the forces of change in their environment. Organizations must often contend with market and competitive forces; changes within a particular industry; or changes in the political, social, or economic environment.1 Institutions of higher education must deal with these changing environmental forces as well. However, the forces that impact the broader institution of higher education may be quite different than the forces that bear down upon the individual units within an institution of higher education. This difference illustrates the need for academic units to individually respond to the forces in their specific environments. The formal process of analyzing environmental forces that impact organizational performance is known as environmental scanning. Environmental scanning is a managerial activity that involves gathering information about the external environment of an organization in order to assist in planning.2 Environmental scanning is typically associated with strategic planning. It is not uncommon for academic departments to be involved in some form of strategic planning. However, it may not be as common for academic programs to engage in a formal environmental scanning process. The purpose of this report is to elucidate the need for individual academic departments of physical therapy to engage in environmental scanning, and to discuss a framework that may guide departmental environmental scanning. …

How to watch the right butterfly: Some guidelines for the design of emergency response organizations

This paper proposes a methodology for the assessment and redesign of emergency response organizations. The paper takes a multi-methodology approach and discusses a series of well-established theoretical frameworks to provide accessible and easy to understand processes for practicing managers. The paper begins by highlighting the non-linear and catastrophic nature of civil emergencies as the basis for organizational design. The methodology proposed to sequential. The first stage uses Pepper's World Hypotheses as a means for assessing organizational responsiveness. The second stage applies Checkland's CATWOE and stakeholder analysis as a means to applying the wisdom of crowds to organizational design. The third stage involves scenario planning using qualitative System Dynamics and causal loop diagrams. The fourth stage applies elements of Stafford Beer's Viable Systems Model to the process of environmental scanning. The fifth and final stage is a discussion of the need to build organizational learning into the adaptive capabilities of the organization.

E-HRM’s Impact on an Environmental Scanning Process

This paper examines HR Management issues in Environmental Scanning (ES) process. Although literature claims that selecting information in this kind of processes is central, the authors are using the concept of “intelligent filters” (Simon,1983) to understand how human attention can be managed for selecting strategic information in a complex environment. The author examines HR executives and the way they deal with issues related to ES and focuses on an empirical study in a big technological firm, where the use of an internal reporting and communication system (the weekly) was studied. This author finds that this particular system can be considered as an “intelligent filter”, requiring both human and technological resources. Finally, suggestions that the system is used by HR executives in order to organize communication and coordination in an ES process but also to increase the participation and involvement of all employees in such a process are made.

Futures signals sense-making framework (FSSF): A start-up tool to analyse and categorise weak signals, wild cards, drivers, trends and other types of information

This article introduces future signals sense-making framework (FSSF), an alternative philosophy towards weak signals, emerging issues, drivers, and trends, that is in contrast to the traditional single signal or path extrapolation approach. The philosophy of FSSF is based on the principles of environmental scanning and pattern management, which state that if there is a grand transformation process on the way or if there is a new emerging pattern or phenomenon, such a process will certainly be reflected in many different ways. Therefore, in this philosophy, futures knowledge is believed to be fragmented between various simultaneous and overlapping sources. Here, a researcher's task is to carry out a sufficient environmental scanning process and to cluster and sense how to create the emerging future through a pattern management process where FSSF plays a role as the first start-up tool. Alternatively, FSSF can also be used as a general knowledge management and sense-making tool for any kind of analyses.

Key Factors for Hastening the Strategic Issue Diagnosis Process: A Within Organisational Model

Previous research on Strategic Issue Diagnosis (SID) had focused on the complexity and novelty associated with the decision-making process in a turbulent environment. What had not been previously addressed in the extant literature is the requirement for speed inherent within the SID process, especially that is related to the gathering of information and facts through an organisation’s environmental scanning procedures. Since proactive management techniques, nimble processes, and systems that allow an organisation to be responsive and build rapid decision-making capabilities are important determinants of success in a turbulent environment, the element of speed associated with SID is an important factor. Our paper identifies a series of propositions focusing attention on elements of the environmental scanning processes and management hierarchies that are intended to counteract the recursiveness and redundancy inherent in SID systems and ultimately hasten the strategic decision-making process.

The “Wins” of Change

A variety of strategies were employed to identify current and future trends that would impact the practice of case management. Historical review, consultation with case management experts, literature review, and environmental scanning by practicing case managers were strategies employed to determine the impact of current and future trends on case management. The trends identified in this article have implications for case managers in a variety of settings. Case managers participating in the environmental scanning process to evaluate the impact of the identified trends on their organization included representation from acute care, home care, behavioral health, workers' compensation, and private insurance settings. The top 7 trends identified by experts in the field of case management included pay for performance, recovery audit contractors, Medicare demonstration projects, transitions of care, informatics in healthcare and case management, metrics for case management, and the impact of an aging population in case management. Practicing case managers were asked to react to these trends in terms of likelihood of occurrence in their organization and impact of these trends on their case management practice. Case management will ultimately have a higher degree of accountability for its practice if metrics to evaluate and reimbursement for case management become a reality. A multitude of performance measures exist that will be monitored and be tied to reimbursement. To ensure that agencies are accomplishing these performance measures, case management will potentially have a growing importance. Case managers perceive that these trends have a predominantly positive impact on case management.

Environmental Scanning and the Health Care Manager

Health care managers and supervisors work in an environment of major changes and ongoing turbulence. Basic terms and strategic approaches are described to enable managers and supervisors to better understand the process of environmental scanning in the turbulent health care environment. Drawing from multiple disciplines, the information allows health care managers and supervisors to improve their skills as environmental scanners as they develop and implement strategic plans in this environment.